The European Union in International Politics

Baptism by Fire

Roy H. Ginsberg

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As the world looks to Europe to take on more responsibility in international politics and security in the devastating aftermath of Bosnia and Kosovo, this pathbreaking book provides the first systematic evaluation of the political impact of the European Union (EU) on a global scale. Little is known of the EU's international political influence, yet if the EU is to develop a viable Common Foreign and Security Policy, other actors will have to perceive the Union as an important player. Roy Ginsberg fills this vital gap by first linking the contexts and sources of EU foreign policy actions with the processes and outputs of decisionmaking and then examining how outsiders view the EU.Combining a masterly synthesis of the literature with invaluable primary interviews and case studies that document the reach of and limits to the EU's political influence, Ginsberg takes the study of EU foreign policy to a new level of analysis. By defining, describing, and explaining the different levels and degrees of external political impact, the book serves as a model for the advancement of conceptual knowledge, rigorous political science research, and state-of-the-art survey techniques and methodology. Scholars, students, and practitioners alike will find this rounded and nuanced work indispensable for understanding EU involvement in international politics seen from the perspective of non-EU players, particularly after the war in Kosovo; the enactment of the Treaty of Amsterdam; the Irish "no" vote for the Treaty of Nice; and the efforts forged by the Europeans to operationalize the new political, security, and military committees associated with the European Security and Defense Policy.« lessmore »

Roy H. Ginsberg is Jean Monnet Chair in European Integration Studies and Joseph C. Palamountain, Jr. Chair in Government at Skidmore College.

Chapter 1 ForewordChapter 2 The Rationale for Studying the Outcomes of European Foreign Policy ActivityChapter 3 Conceptual Model of the European Foreign Policy SystemChapter 4 Evaluating External Political ImpactChapter 5 Political Impact of the European Union on the Conflict in Former Yugoslavia, 1991-1995Chapter 6 Political Impact of the European Union on Israel, the Palestinians, and the Middle East Peace ProcessChapter 7 Political Impact of the European Union on the United StatesChapter 8 Findings and Future ScholarshipChapter 9 Appendix A: EU Institutions by Foreign Policy CompetenceChapter 10 Record of Ninety-Five Elite InterviewsChapter 11 BibliographyChapter 12 Index

The strength of this work lies in its capacity for both synthesis and original thinking. . . . An important and excellent reminder that in the international arena [the EU] has already shed the mantle of political dwarfdom.— Lily Gardner Feldman; Race Relations Abstracts

A rich qualitative empirical analysis. . . . A well-researched book of impressive quality. . . . Highly recommend[ed] for its historical and empirical strength and its relevance to current world events.— Carolyn Marie Dudek; American Political Science Review

[An] impressive piece of scholarship. . . . Ginsberg's in-depth analysis . . . provides us with much-needed insight into specific EU actions and outcomes in the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East conflict, and relations with the United States. . . . The book makes a significant contribution to the study of the EU as an international actor.— Journal of Common Market Studies

A timely and provocative study that challenges the proclivity to under or overestimate the impact of the European Union in international political affairs, Ginsberg's analysis is conceptually and empirically engaging. Simply put, his study takes the analysis of European foreign policy decision-making to a new level of theoretical and methodological rigor. There are few, if any, recent studies of European foreign policy that are as empirically and methodologically as systematic as Ginsberg's analysis. Policy-makers, both in the EU and outside the region, will make foreign decisions based upon their understanding of the EU as a foreign policy actor. They would be well advised to read Ginsberg's study before making any such decisions.— International Politics

Most prior scholarship on EU foreign policy has focused on the decision-making process and the sources of those decisions, or the factors that shape decision-making. Professor Ginsberg, whose book is the first to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework for studying European foreign policy, focuses instead on external political impact.— Insights, The Library Of Congress Professional Association

A delightfully written, thoroughly researched, insightful account of the increasingly independent role of the EU in world affairs.— Henry Nau, George Washington University